Delany to Big Ten coaches: Watch your step

Commissioner says he's tired of 'embarrassing' scandals

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany during the 2011 Big Ten football media day at the Hyatt-McCormick Place. (Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE, US PRESSWIRE)

Shortly after Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio called friend and mentor Jim Tressel a "tragic hero," Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany characterized the Ohio State scandal in different terms.

Simply tragic.

Actually, Delany used the word "embarrassing" to describe both Tressel's deception at Ohio State and the serious rules infraction at Michigan, which exceeded practice hours under Rich Rodriguez.

"It not only reflected poorly on them," Delany said, "it has reflected poorly on us."

In an unusual move, Delany gathered the 12 head coaches Thursday morning and essentially told them enough is enough.

"I explained that we do not want two more such cases," he said. "They are the CEOs. They hire the assistant coaches. People do make mistakes, but it's how people address those that's more important."

Delany said he agreed with his fellow commissioners on a number of proposed reforms, including re-examining the NCAA Division I Manual, which numbers more than 400 pages.

"It could probably be described as a system established in the '50s and stuck in the '70s," he said.

Here's a quick look around the conference …

Illinois: Ron Zook's two daughters got married in the offseason: "I learned how to take orders and stay out of the way."

Indiana: Kevin Wilson has not watched game tape from last season. He will rely on his evaluating skills to select a quarterback from among four candidates: "We have concentrated on developing our players. That's not coach-speak. That's the dead truth."

Iowa: Kirk Ferentz is fired up about Nebraska joining the Big Ten, calling it "fantastic for the conference … I remember coming to Iowa in 1981 (as offensive line coach), and there were probably more Nebraska fans than Iowa fans." The teams will duel in 2011 and 2012 on the day after Thanksgiving in a soon-to-be-named trophy game.

Michigan: Brady Hoke predicted a smooth transition for quarterback Denard Robinson, who will be asked to run a pro-style attack: "He ran the same offense in high school, which is a plus because of the big difference in the mechanics."

Michigan State: Dantonio coached under Tressel for eight seasons, and that bond remains strong. After calling Tressel a "tragic hero," he added: "Usually tragic heroes have the ability to rise above it all in the end. That's what I look forward to."

Minnesota: Jerry Kill said MarQueis Gray will move from receiver to full-time quarterback: "It's kind of scary (to think how good he would be) if he had had a lot of quarterback reps. He's so athletically gifted."

Nebraska: Pelini said Bubba Starling has not decided between playing football or baseball in the Kansas City Royals' organization. Either way, the main man at quarterback figures to be Taylor "T-Magic" Martinez. Said Pelini: "He's very fast. He has good arm talent. (But) he has a long way to go in his decision-making."

Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald indicated Kain Colter has emerged as the second-string quarterback ahead of Evan Watkins. And he all but confirmed a Tribune report that athletic director Jim Phillips will sign an extension to stay in Evanston through 2020, matching Fitzgerald's deal: "He's a huge fan, which is kind of fun. Sometimes I have to talk him off the ledge in our locker room after the game, but that's all right."

Ohio State: Interim coach Luke Fickell described the last few months as "whirlwind, exciting, crazy and emotional" and said he has not had contact with Tressel. … Delany said if the NCAA punishes the Buckeyes with a bowl ban, they likely would not be eligible to play in the inaugural Big Ten title game.

Penn State: Joe Paterno, 84, asked of the media, "Speak up, will ya?" but said he's feeling better than last year, when he sounded weak: "I'm walking a lot more, watching what I eat. I enjoyed the spring and have a lot of enthusiasm."

Purdue: Danny Hope said he expects to use a two-quarterback system to take advantage of Robert Marve's passing and Rob Henry's feet: "It won't be the bread and butter of our offense, but it certainly has great potential."

Wisconsin: Bret Bielema had strong words for cheating coaches, recommending that the NCAA "hammer the guys who don't do things right." He also called N.C. State transfer Russell Wilson his "potential" starting quarterback, saying nothing was promised during his recruitment: "That's one of the things that attracted him to our program. We were honest, truthful."